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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]So is materialism just pure intellectual honesty for PPs?  This is the hand we were dealt, we are just material and nothing more, death is the end, I am satisfied because I have to be?[/quote]
[FYI, I'm not that PP.]

If your argument for belief is that one is happier with it, that's much better than your other arguments. There are several problems with it, though:
1) It's pretty hard to prove whether belief makes one happier.
2) Even if it does in general, it won't necessarily for me in particular.
3) Even if it were to make me happier, I'm skeptical that I could push myself into it.
4) Your argument doesn't suggest what particular belief one should hold. (Still waiting for your explanation of why you don't believe in faeries and you're not a Muslim, Mormon, etc..) I guess by your argument one should find the least demanding and restrictive religion that still maintains an element of divine power and justice (off the top of my head - reform Judaism?).
5) I believe that intellectual honesty does more net good for people than does religious belief. You dismiss it as "just...intellectual honesty." Intellectual honesty has been pretty important to humans. All branches of science, political philosophy, and every practical issue in life have depended upon its application.

You tell yourself that God will protect you from the bear, and I'll run away from it. You tell yourself that God will care for you and your family, and I'll get an education and a job. You tell yourself that your physical condition is God's will, and I'll watch my diet and consult with medical professionals. You tell yourself that God put the king in charge, and I'll contest that and fight for democracy. I acknowledge that at the end of the day it's possible that the devoutly religious person may remain happier as she maintains her faith even in the wreckage of her personal life and her society, but fortunately for her, many of us take the path of "just pure intellectual honesty," so she can ride our coattails.

Here's an easy (though sloppy) test of it. Below is a list of most and least religious countries and U.S. states. Where would you rather live?
http://dailyatheist.blogspot.com/2009/02/most-and-least-religious-countries-in.html
[/quote]

OP here.  I was not making any argument at all.  I am not trying to convince you of anything.  I am trying to understand unbelievers.  I had my own reasons for not believing, but that was just my story.  I want to know where you are coming from.

You constructed a straw man argument, and I'm not sure if you were attributing it to me or not, but since it is not my "argument," I am not going to deconstruct it.

But you do raise an interesting distinction:  the difference between seeking the God we want and the God that Is.

And does it really not trouble you that there is no such thing as perfect justice?  That the "bad" guys win 99.99...% of the time?  Please, I am NOT making any argument with this question!!!  I am just trying to get a direct response.  If you are right, and I am wrong, most human beings live a life that is "nasty, brutish, and short."  What is it like to face that reality head on?  Are humans really just mammals, then?

I'm just looking for a description of your perspective.  I'm not asking you to practice "wishful thinking," I swear. 
[/quote]

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